Thank you, Mr. President.
Every day at the United Nations, the countries of the world make choices…hard choices.
With each resolution we adopt, and with every vote we cast, we choose between peace and war, progress and decay, hope and despair.
Whether we intend them to or not, our choices, for better or for worse, will impact countless lives.
Today, the United Nations has made a choice. You, the nations of the world have chosen, once again, to debate the so-called “Question of Palestine.” Today, as you return to these same seats, this same forum, you will take turns targeting Israel. You will vote on empty resolutions against Israel. And next November, on this very day, a day that the world should celebrate, you will try to isolate Israel once more.
The 29th of November marks a pivotal moment of choice. It is the anniversary of the United Nations’ vote in 1947 that would determine the fate of two peoples.
For one of those peoples, it was a moment that turned an age-old dream of self-determination into a real-life miracle. For the other, the result of the vote triggered an aggressive and lasting hatred.
In the General Assembly, the main hall of what is now the Queens Museum, Zionist delegates, back in 1947, ran from diplomat to diplomat. One by one, we made our case. We explained why resolution 181 was so crucial for the Jewish people. Why passing this resolution, which would call to create a Jewish state in the Jewish homeland, was nonnegotiable.
When the voting started, Jews across the world crowded around radios to keep score. An eyewitness recalls that the vote, which only lasted three minutes, felt like “the length of the Jewish exile.”
On that day in 1947, the United Nations made the right choice. The choice to correct an historic wrong. The choice that welcomed the establishment of a Jewish state in the land of Israel. The choice that would give Israel a new platform, and a new opportunity, to do the most good.
On that same day, Jews and Arabs had the chance to build successful and prosperous communities. The Jews said yes. But the Arabs said no.
Despite all we have been through, despite all the calls to wipe us off the map, Israel has chosen the path of prosperity and peace.
For the last 70 years, our small country of just 8 million has chosen to dream big. We have worked to help others, and always seek to repair the world. But for the Palestinians, it has been the exact opposite.
I wish that were not the case. I wish I could stand here today and assure you that the Palestinian leadership wants prosperity and peace. But since that critical vote in 1947, the Palestinians have done nothing but try to harm Israel.
The Palestinians are not anti-Israel because of borders or governments. They are anti-Israel because of who we are.
The Palestinians have never accepted the existence of a Jewish state in the Holy Land. And they do not accept it today.
Through every lie they spread, through every life they steal, the Palestinian leadership always blames their situation on us – on Israel.
But never, not even once, has the Palestinian leadership tried to improve the lives of its own people.
Palestinian leaders incite their teenagers to commit terror attacks against Israeli citizens. They exploit their international aid to build monuments for convicted terrorists. They abuse these funds to pay terrorists and their families monthly salaries for killing Israelis. The payments start at $3000, and they only go up from there.
And that’s not all. The Palestinians have the audacity to lie about it.
While they tell you – and you just heard – they want peace, that there would be peace if it were not for Israel, in reality, they are the ones who embrace terror! They are the ones who choose to kill.
I have a proposition for the Palestinians. For every $1000 you choose to spend on terrorists and their families, what if you spent that money on a hi-tech Palestinian startup? What if you sponsored a Palestinian student to study, rather than to slay? What if you built cultural centers instead of terror monuments? And what if you used all that money you receive from other countries for development, rather than destruction?
The Palestinians make these choices every day. They have the opportunity to change the course of their choices toward progress, peace and prosperity. Or, they can continue on the path of devastation and despair.
Sadly, sadly, they have done the latter. From 1947-2017, the Palestinians have rejected every opportunity for peace. I will give you an example.
In 2005, the Palestinians, once again, could have made the right choice. They had this opportunity when Israel unilaterally pulled out of Gaza. We walked away, and gave the Palestinians the chance for self-determination in Gaza.
For those who do not know Gaza – Gaza is next to the Mediterranean Sea. Gaza could have been the next beach resort destination of the Middle East – a beautiful location. But instead, 12 years after Israel left completely – you have no settlements in Gaza, no occupation in Gaza – 12 years after Israel left, Gaza has become a haven for terror.
The current state of Gaza cannot be blamed on the Europeans, or the Americans, the Arabs or the Israelis. It was a self-inflicted wound.
So long as Hamas uses innocent Palestinians as human shields and deprives them of basic human rights, Gaza will remain imprisoned by its own brutal leaders.
Hamas terrorists still try to destroy our cities. When construction materials come into Gaza, they are not used to build schools and housing. Instead, Hamas uses them to build its terror infrastructure. Hamas terror tunnels continue to be discovered under UN facilities – under schools, hospitals and mosques. And they have one purpose: to kidnap and kill Israelis.
Hamas has made a choice never to accept our right to exist. But the Palestinian Authority – the PA – chose too. It’s their latest of bad choices. They finally said yes. They finally chose to negotiate. They even signed an agreement! But not with Israel.
The Palestinian Authority finally said yes to working with Hamas. It is the only choice to which they have not said no.
Just listen to Saeb Erakat, the chief Palestinian negotiator. He did not hesitate when he said…and I quote, “Hamas is not and will never be a terrorist organization to us.”
That’s right. Hamas is an internationally recognized terrorist organization. But in the eyes of Palestinian leadership, it is the exact opposite.
Mr. President,
Today, in 2017, this is where we stand. 70 years since that critical moment in history, that crucial choice to progress or regress, we still have no partner for peace, unfortunately. Israel can only negotiate with a partner that lays down its weapons and respects our right to exist.
The only thing that should not exist – that has no right to exist – is the question of Israel’s existence.
What the Palestinians do not realize is that when they try to harm us, they really harm themselves. When we discover solutions that save lives, they direct their people to end their lives. As we surge toward the future, they shove their people into the past. Had the Palestinians made the right choice, had they just said yes, we could have worked together. We could have partnered together in our big dreams. We could have had prosperity and peace.
But Israel does not lose hope. We still sit ready to negotiate, ready to find a solution. While we wait for that moment, Israel will not waste time. We have chosen the path of prosperity and peace. We have built a vibrant democracy, where all of our citizens – Jewish, Muslim, Druze, Christian – enjoy equal rights and protections under the law.
Under Israel’s watch, our people are free. Under Israel’s leadership, our hearts and minds are open. We seek peace, and we dream big.
Every day that passes, Israel chooses to empower more people, save more lives, and build toward the future.
Our democracy is stable. Our economy is growing. Every eight hours – by the time we will finish this debate – a new startup emerges. And at every opportunity possible, we share what we have learned with our fellow nations.
There is work to be done, and we can only move forward.
The Palestinians will not better themselves by worsening us. It’s about time they make the right choice.
At the end of the day, Israel will always choose prosperity.
At the end of the day, Israel will always choose partnership.
At the end of the day, Israel will always choose peace.
Thank you very much.